Dabrowski’s Big Night Against Former Team Lifts Ice Flyers To First Home Win
November 9, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers Correspondent
The Ice Flyers newly acquired Sam Dabrowski had a little emotional tinge while glancing at this former team prior to Friday night’s game.
“There were a couple times when I saw the (Knoxville Ice Bears) jerseys and I had a little double take where I was like, wait, these aren’t my teammates,” Dabrowski said. “But I know how they compete.
‘I’ve practice with them for longer than I’ve practiced with these guys here in Pensacola, so I am familiar with everyone on the ice and their tendencies and how they play. And I just try to play my best game.
He did just that.
Dabrowski scored a pair of second period goals – his first two with Pensacola – as the Ice Flyers won a 7-4 scoring fest Friday against the Knoxville Ice Bears before a crowd of 5,330 at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The attractive adult jersey giveaway had fans waiting outside the Bay Center well before the doors opened for the replica jersey style worn Friday by the Ice Flyers.
When the game began, the Ice Flyers fans had more reasons to cheer in what became the first home ice win of the season.
Cameron Cook and Matt Weisner scored goals just 1-minute, 11 seconds apart in the first period for a 20 lead at intermission.
The teams combined for seven goals in a wild second period, which saw Ice Bears’ goaltender Stephen Mundinger, who played for the Ice Flyers most of last season, pulled after giving up a fourth goal on just 14 shots faced with 13:39 left in the second period.
The Ice Flyers then sealed the game in third period when Ivan Bondarenko slipped a perfect pass behind him to Jordan Henderson, who then rifled a wrist shot into the net 5:44 remaining for a 6-4 lead. CJ Hayes then made a diving whack at the puck with a defender on him for an empty net goal with 15 seconds left to complete the night.
“It’s good for the group, I think we’ve been getting our fair share of chances, we just haven’t been burying (pucks) and I think that’s what has been frustrating,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “So the longer that goes, guys start squeezing their sticks.
“It’s all about confidence in this game. More confident players, the better they’re going to play, so it is good to see the team finally get rewarded. We got a few bounces for once (Friday), haven’t been getting a lot of those.
“On the flip side, I can’t sit here and be happy giving up that many goals. It’s not our standard. We’ve had way too many games this season giving up too many goals.”
The teams will rematch Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Bay Center on Blue Angels Night with the Ice Flyers wearing spectacular Blue Angels uniforms in honor of the U.S. Navy famed flight demonstration squadron based at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
The recognition follows the Blue Angels final air show of 2024 last Saturday in Pensacola and occurs on Veterans Day weekend.
FIRST PERIOD
Cameron Cook started things off for the Ice Flyers working the puck free off the boards from a faceoff and then rifling a wrist shot past Stephen Mundinger less than six minutes into the first period.
Matt Weisner quickly followed on a perfect pass from C.J. Hayes, who worked himself around the back of the net, then found Weisner open for a one-timer that became a 2-0 lead at intermission.
SECOND PERIOD
Just 47 seconds into the period, as fans were still returning from the first intermission break, Dabrowski scored his first Ice Flyers goal on assists from Cook and Shane Bull.
Knoxville answered less than a minute later to make it a 3-1 and ignite the scoring spree.
Dabrowski scored again, assisted by the same two linemates again, to make it 4-1 with 13:39 left. He was acquired by the Ice Flyers on Oct. 26 and made the trip with the team last weekend to Roanoke and Fayetteville.
“We kinda had a little bit of slow weekend last weekend when we were thrown together for the first time without a whole lot of practice time,” Dabrowski said. “With a week of practice together (this week) things started to click.
“The game plan was laid out for us, we executed, did what we were supposed to.”That goal led to Mundinger getting pulled and ignited Knoxville to make it a 4-3 game with the next two goals before Bull scored with 2:06 left in the period.
THIRD PERIOD
Henderson’s goal late in the period followed both teams getting power play chances earlier in the period. Ivan Bonderenko’s pass made the difference in setting up the goal-scoring play.
The Ice Bears pulled their goaltender with 1:15 remaining and had a two-man advantage briefly as the Ice Flyers killed off a penalty then Hayes’ great hustle play sent the puck into the net for the final goal.
GAME NOTABLES
The jerseys worn Friday night by the players and the fans will be followed on Saturday with the players wearing the Blue Angels uniforms in a partnership with the U.S. Navy’s famed squadron.
“You go around the world, everyone knows who the Blue Angels are,” Graham said. “I think these jerseys are probably the best I’ve ever seen, and I have seen a lot of cool jerseys in my lifetime. That jersey we will be wearing I think is the sharpest thing.”
Showstoppers Win USSSA Fall World Series 12uB Class Championship
November 8, 2024
The Showstoppers 2030 team won the USSSA Fall World Series 12uB class championship recently.
The team went a perfect 5-0 in bracket play with the Birminaham, Alabama, tournament with 26 total teams. They finished the fall session winning 12 of their last 13 games and an overall record of 29-6.
The Showstoppers played five fall tournaments, winning four championships and two runner-up spots. They head into the off season ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the country among 12uB teams.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
SEC Soccer Quarterfinals Are Today At Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park
November 5, 2024
The SEC Soccer Tournament continues today with quarterfinal action at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park off 10 Mile Road.
Today’s games are:
- No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Georgia, 11:30 a.m.
- No. 3 Texas vs. No. 11 LSU, 2 p.m.
- No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Tennessee, 4:30 p.m.
- No. 4 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Alabama 7 p.m.
Winner advance to the semifinals Thursday at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are now one sale at pensacolasports.org. All-tournament passes are $45. Individual session tickets for the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Nov. 3 and on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Admission is free for children 5 and under at all games.
For a photo gallery LSU vs. Auburn, click here.
Pictured: The LSA Tigers defeated Auburn 2-1 Sunday afternoon in the SEC Soccer Tournament. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
SEC Soccer Tournament Opens At Ashton Brosnaham (With Photo Gallery)
November 4, 2024
Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Alabama were winners in the first round of the SEC Soccer Tournament Sunday at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road.
Up next in quarter final action on Tuesday:
- No. 2 Arkansas vs No. 7 Georgia, 11:30 a.m.
- No. 3 Texas vs No. 11 LSU, 2 p.m.
- No. 1 Mississippi Statevs. No. 9 Tennessee, 4:30 p.m.
- No. 4 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Alabama 7 p.m.
Semifinals will be Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Tickets are now one sale at pensacolasports.org. All-tournament passes are $45. Individual session tickets for the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Nov. 3 and on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Admission is free for children 5 and under at all games.
For a photo gallery LSU vs. Auburn, click here.
SUNDAY:
Georgia 1, Texas A&M 0
Graduate midfielder Dasia Torbert’s first-half goal proved to be the difference as the seventh-seeded University of Georgia soccer team defeated Texas A&M, 1-0, in the opening match of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament Sunday afternoon at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.
LSU 2, Auburn 1
LSU comes out on top of an intense second-half battle, beating Auburn for the first time since 2010 as both Gabbi Ceballos and Mollie Baker score in the 2-1 first-round SEC tourney win.
The LSU Soccer team (9-7-3, 4-5-2 SEC) won their opening match of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament against the six seed and No. 24 ranked Auburn Tigers (12-3-4, 4-3-4 SEC) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Pensacola.
For a photo gallery LSU vs. Auburn, click here.
The win was the Tigers first top-25 victory since No. 22 Georgia in 2023 and Head Coach Sian Hudson’s first victory over Auburn since beginning her tenure at LSU. It was also LSU’s first victory over Auburn since 2010.
“I’m so proud of the team. We’re excited to get back out there and take on Texas on Tuesday,” said Hudson. “We talked about defending as a unit and working for each other outside of possession and I think we did that so well today across the field. Gabbi Ceballos was unbelievable for us and then Mollie Baker, who hasn’t scored every goal she wanted to for us this season, stepping up in a big moment.”
Tennessee 1, Kentucky 0
The Lady Vols advance in the SEC Tournament and avenge their regular-season loss to the Wildcats with a 1-0 first-round win thanks to Sammi Woods’ goal and Cayden Norris’ five saves.
Alabama 2, Vanderbilt 1
Alabama seemed reenergized on opening day of the 2024 SEC Soccer Tournament, using an early pair of goals by Nadia Ramadan and Zivana Labovic to outlast the favored Commodores, 2-1, in first-round play on Sunday at Ashton Brosnaham Park in Pensacola.
SEC Soccer Tournament Starts Today At Ashton Brosnaham Park
November 3, 2024
Escambia County is hosting the SEC SEC Soccer Tournament at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road today though November 10, marking the county’s third consecutive year hosting the tournament. During the week-long event, the top 12 women’s soccer teams will compete for the championship title.
“We are incredibly proud to once again host the SEC tournament, and we look forward to welcoming the teams and fans to Escambia County,” Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “This is an exciting event not only for District 5 and Escambia County, but for all of Northwest Florida. I appreciate the continued partnership with Pensacola Sports and the SEC, along with the countless staff members and volunteers who work behind the scenes to make an event like this possible.”
Tickets are now one sale at pensacolasports.org. All-tournament passes are $45. Individual session tickets for the first round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Nov. 3 and on Tuesday, Nov. 5. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Admission is free for children 5 and under at all games.
Since 2022, the SEC tournament has drawn thousands of attendees to Escambia County and generated millions of dollars in local economic impact. The 2022 tournament broke SEC attendance records with more than 10,000 attendees, generating a $2.5 million economic impact, according to the county.
The tournament will air on the SEC Network.
The schedule is below for the first round on Sunday and the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Winner advance to the semifinals on Thursday and the championship on Sunday, November 10.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
A Rout for the Record Books As No. 21 UWF Rolls 70-0 Past Erskine
November 3, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Argos correspondent
The game’s outcome, of course, was never going to be in doubt.
Rather, it was the performance and the precision that mattered most to UWF’s football team. In that regard, it became record-setting.
In another milestone moment for a program only in its eighth season, the No. 21 ranked Argos demolished Erskine College 70-0 and gained a desired feel-good vibe heading into the defining final part of their schedule that will determine a post-season berth.
The point total and victory margin was one better than UWF’s 69-0 victory against Virginia-Lynchburg on Sept. 21, 2019 in Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium – the season the Argos won the NCAA Division II national championship.
“”Obviously a really good performance in all three facets of the game,” said UWF coach Kaleb Nobles. “I’m excited that our guys played well. I don’t think we were perfect by any means, there are a lot of things we still have to clean up, but we played well. I’m excited our guys answered the challenge this game.”
UWF (6-2) attained its fifth straight win and produced this offensive show of force without top quarterback Marcus Stokes, who sat out of the game with a minor injury. Backup Tony Bartalo, a junior from Tampa, absolutely shined by throwing six touchdown passes.
He overcame an interception on UWF’s first possession to finish with 15 of 22 passing for 267 yards. His six touchdowns matched the school record first set by Nobles himself in 2016 against Missouri S&T, then tied by Austin Reed in the 2019 national title win against Minnesota State.
“Tony did a great job of trusting what we talked about all week, going through every bit of the read,” Nobles said. “We even had some plays where I was intending for another receiver to get the ball, and Tony read the play correctly and found the guy they left open. Marcus is dealing with a minor injury that we felt it wasn’t smart to put him on out there and put strain on his body. He’s not out for a long period of time, he should be good to go next week (in final home game vs. North Greenville). Both of those guys have to stay ready to play.”
Bartalo, who transferred before spring practice from Charleston Southern, was the No. 2 quarterback throughout preseason and was told Wednesday night he would be starting.
“Honestly, my mindset is the same every week… just be prepared like you’re the guy every week so you don’t have to change how you prepare,” Bartalo said. “I prepare every week like I’m the starting quarterback and I’m going to go out there and just do my job and just play football. Playing football is the easy part.”
The Argos are now in a playoff scenario the rest of the season. In addition to a must-win next Saturday in the home finale against North Greenville (2 p.m. kickoff) at Pen Air Field, they will likely need to win the season-finale at Valdosta State on Nov. 16 to attain a 8-2 record.
They played the kind of game Saturday they hoped to produce. Eight different players scored touchdowns. The Argos amassed 29 first downs and limited Erskine to just five the entire game.
Total yards were another eye-popping total with UWF outgaining Erskine 532 yards to just 17. With UWF’s defense totally throttling anything the Flying Fleet tried to do.
Javon Swinton, who caught a pair of touchdown passes, started the scoring frenzy by catching a 14-yard pass from Bartalo to cap a 90-yard, seven-play drive on UWF’s second possession of the game.
The Argos then produced three touchdowns in a four-minute span in the second quarter in blowing open the game before halftime.
Jakobe Quillen, a Florence, S.C. native returning to his home state, caught a 36-yard TD pass from Bartalo to cap a 71 yard, six-play drive. A little more than two minutes later, following another quick three-and-out sequence from UWF’s defense, receiver Zac Offord caught a 17-yard pass from Bartalo midway through the second quarter.
One minute, 52 seconds later, after another UWF defensive stop, Virgil Lemons returned a punt 57 yards for a score to continue what became a memorable performance.
Lemons returned seven punts for 198 yards.
“I’m excited how our players are playing on punt returns,” Nobles said. “Those are scoring points for us. I told our staff, right before we scored (on Lemons return), this is awesome, I think we might actually score on this one and we did.”
In the second half, UWF scored touchdowns all six times they had the ball. Quillen scored his second touchdown on the Argos first possession of the second half with a 21 reception from Bartalo. Jay Sharp followed with a 33-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass, Swinton scored his second TD, then the last three scores were first time TDs for three players.
Troy Coughlin, a former Gulf Breeze High star and redshirt freshman, finished the Argos scoring on an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter and became the first Pensacola-area player to score for UWF since Navarre’s Quentin Randolph did so in the 2019 championship game.
His score was preceded by Luis Chafino catching a 14-yard pass from No. 3 QB Michael Rich Jr. The other score was redshirt freshman Keeshaun Glanton’s 7-yard run.
“You get in a game like that, you have a fine line between not trying to drive up the score and getting guys some reps that put a lot of work in,” Nobles said. “We put our backups in the entire fourth quarter, and they scored on all three drives which is awesome to see. We’ve had true freshman on the offensive line that did good. Great job by our running backs to make the most of their carries.”
Defensively, it was a compete dominating performance. The Argos held Erskine to 0.3 yards per-play, had 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss yards.
Freshman lineman Lorenzo Payne led the way with six tackles, including 3.5 for loss yards and was in on two sacks. His high school teammate from Orlando, Kevin Roberts also saw plenty of playing time and had three stops.
It was all part of a defensive effort where more than 25 players had a least one tackle.
“They played phenomenal,” Nobles said. “We’ve had some injuries with guys missing time, especially on the defensive line. We had two true freshmen on the defensive line start tonight that we recruited in February. They were high school teammates, Lorenzo Payne and Kevin Roberts, starting college games together. We know we have a couple challenging games coming up, but if our defense is playing well, we have a shot to win a game.The defensive line plays with relentless effort. All the coaches do well on the defensive side of the ball, we’re really playing well in all three layers of the defense right now.”
Photo/John Rose.
Tate Aggies Fall To The Escambia Gators (With Gallery)
November 2, 2024
The Escambia Gators defeated the Tate Aggies 34-14 Friday night in Cantonment to end the 2024 regular season.
The Aggies scored on 2-yard keeper from senior quarterback Taite Davis in the third quarter. Tate scored again on an 83-yard Carson Carson Secchiari touchdown run to tie it up 14-14 with 1:08 in the third, but the Gators battled back for the win.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“We got back in and got the momentum,” Tate head coach Rhett Summerford said. “We just couldn’t finish. ”
“I think we have a good enough team to be in,” Summerford said. “We didn’t who show it tonight. We’ve got to figure that out.”
The Tate Aggies, now at 7-3 were ranked seventh in the region heading into Friday night’s contest. It’s now a final wait and see to find out oi the Aggies are playoff bound with an at-large bid. Escambia (8-2) is guaranteed a playoff spot with the District 1-4A title.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Friday Night High School Scoreboard
November 2, 2024
Here are Friday night high school football schedule from the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Escambia 34 Tate 14 [Story, photos..]
- Jay 49, J.U. Blacksher 23
- Pensacola 50, Gulf Breeze 25
- Pine Forest 19, West Florida 9
- Pace 48, Milton 0
- Central 34, Wewahitchka 28
- Pensacola Catholic 31, St. John Paul II 24
- Niceville 35, Navarre 7
- Flomaton 6, Northview 0 [Thursday-Story, photos...]
- Bye: Washington
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 6, Northview 0 [Thursday-Story, photos...]
- T.R. Miller 49, W.S. Neal 12
Pictured: The Tate Aggies fell to the 34-14 to the Escambia Gators Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Gets Past Northview 6-0 In Season Ender
November 1, 2024
The Northview Chiefs came close to ending their season with a win, but they just could not find explosive plays and fell short to the Flomaton Hurricanes 6-0 Thursday night in Bratt.
The game remained scoreless until well into the fourth quarter, when NyZavion French scored on a 9-yard run for Flomaton with 5 minutes to go in the game. The extra point kick was short, giving the Hurricanes a 6-0 advantage.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Northview was able to drive to about the 30-yard line, but momentum was cut short with Dane King was sacked. Then Flomaton had to just run out the clock, but Canes fumbled it away with just 42.7 seconds to go in the game. Northview’s Jackson Helton recovered, giving the Chiefs less than a minute to for a tie and a possible win with a touchdown and a good kick.
On the final play, a pass from Northview’s Dane King to Same Reid was incomplete at time expired.
“I’m so proud of our kids. I thought we had a chance in there and fought hard, gave it all our effort,” Northview head coach Wes Summerford said. “We needed that big play, and I don’t think that big play ever happened. But we played an outstanding game. That’s one of the best games that I’ve seen in a couple of months, and so I’m proud of our kids for that.”
Despite the win, Flomaton head coach Doug Vickery said he felt like Canes fell short in their performance.
“That’s probably the worst game we’ve played all year,” Vickery said, crediting Northview for a good battle. “I told them before the game, you just don’t ever know. It’s like Alabama-Auburn; it’s such a rivalry game you just never know.
“You can’t talk enough about how great these kids are,” Summerford said about the Chiefs. “We all know it is a disappointing season, but the way they responded in the end is exactly what I came to Northview for and what I expect out of Northview.”
“We had a big talk t today about adversity and things like that and battling that, and how that is going to happen in life,” Summerford said. “That’s football. That’s lessons that nobody can teach that football teaches you. I’m so proud of our kids.”
The Flomaton Hurricanes finished their season at 6-4.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Northview Chiefs ended 2024 at 2-8 as they have opted out of an experimental “B” playoff bracket for the bottom 16 FHSAA Rural Division teams that could have seen Northview traveling 800 miles to nearly Key West to take on Marathon High School. The FHSAA experiment is something Summerford said the program just can’t financially afford.
“I want our sports here to be successful; I just don’t think that is a good thing for us, but it may be a good thing for other teams,” he said, noting that several Northview football players also play basketball for the Chiefs in a season that begins soon.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Golfers Ben Robinson And Baylor Touchstone Qualify For Regionals
November 1, 2024
Two Tate High School boys golfers are advancing to regional play next week.
Ben Robinson and Baylor Touchstone, both sophomores, qualified to compete in the 2024 Boys Golf 3A Regional in Port Orange, Florida, on Monday.
From 3A District 1, the Pace and Chiles teams advanced to state.
In girls 3A District 1, Niceville and Pace are headed to state.
Pictured top: Tate golfers Baylor Touchstone (left) and Ben Robinson are headed to regionals on Monday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.